Fire-damp indicator



(No Model.) v

I. KITSEB.

FIRE DAMP INDIUATOR.

No. 268,908. PatentedDec. 12, 1882.

fl I 20 3 Ill 2 ,Sheet-Sheet 2.

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFIcE.

ISIDOR KITSEE, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

FIRE-DAMP INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 268,908, dated December12, 1882.

. Application filed October 7, 1882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Isroon Krrsnn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Uincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fire-Damp Indicators, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to fire-damp indicators and annunciators, and is animprovement on the devices for which four Letters Patent of the UnitedStates have been issued to me, dated August 1, 1882, and numberedrespectively 262,054, 262,055, 262,056, and 262,057. As described in thespecifications and claims of said patents, I employ in myherein-described improvement an ordinary safety-lamp, or any devicewhich has minutelyperforated surroundings, in such a manner thatfire-damp which has passed through said perforated inclosure and hasreached that degree or condition will, when in contact with flame orincandescent substance. become inflammable, and when so ignited willactuate mechanism that will give an alarm and transmit it to a givenstation.

Although I employ the principle embraced in the device known as the Davylamp, the diffusion of light for illuminating purpose is not essential,and my improvement on the devices heretofore patented consistsessentially in so arranging the device that an induced current ofelectricity produces a spark or incandescence within a vessel providedwith minutely perforated surroundings, in whole or in part, and whichincandescence or spark will ignite the inclosed fire-damp it it hasreached the degree or condition of infiannnability.

Fire-damp known as marsh-gas is known to be always present incoal-mines. It is protocarbureted hydrogen, its formula being C H It isproduced in some cases by slow decomposition of the coal itself. Inothers it is probably the result of the changes in the constitution ofthe vegetable matter of which the coal itself is formed, which has beenconfined under great pressure in the interstitial spaces of the coal orrocks immediately in connection with them. This gas escapes andaccumulates in waste places, or goaf,of a mine, and may exist andaccumulate in dangerous condition and quantity in an abandoned part ofthe mine as well as in galleries being worked. The

(No model.)

carbureted hydrogen gas does not explode when mixed with air much belowor above the quantity necessary for a complete combustion; but in minesit is ever present in diverse degrees of atmospheric admixture, and whenit reaches its inflammable density or condition and comes in contactwith a naked light explosion ensues, resulting in lossof life andproperty. The products of combustion poison those who, stunned by theconcussion, would recover if supplied with pure atmosphere. Thereforeits presence is a twofold source of danger.

There have been some efforts made to determinethe existence offire-dampfire-damp is spoken of here in its generic characterincludingdanipie,marsh-gas,choke-damp, and other terms by which it isknown scientifically and conventionally) by indications ofspecificgravity; but this is an unreliable test by reason of the presence ofdust and foreign floating substance in variable quantity. So, too, therehave been some efforts made to actuate devices by gaseous expansion andcontraction, but without furnishing satisfactory data, for no devicethat would tabnlate the precise expansibility, density, or gravity offire-damp would indicate or announce its dangerous condition i. 0.,inflainmability-for it must be understood that the specific gravity anddensity may Vary when fire-damp is innoxious and has reached that degreeof infiammability that it is explosive, and so vice versa. In myinvention I rely upon theinfiammability as the true test of dangerouscondition of the fire-damp, and I utilize the well-known principle offlame being confined within perforate inclosures. In my previous patentsI depend upon automatic action brought about when the confined firedampentersinto combustion; but in the present improvement I rely upon directaction when an induced current of electricity generates a spark orincandcscence within the perforate surroundings and ignites the confinedfire-damp if it therein has accumulated in combustible condition.

To the accomplishment ofmy purpose, I 10- cate within a mine one or morereceptacles or vessels having perforated surroundings in whole or inpart, and place them in an electric field, connecting to each vesselthecircuit linewire. Within each vessel are carbon points IOC or anylike device whereby an electric spark I will appear when the current isinduced, or a piece of platinum sponge or wire that will becomeincandescent or in'a state of red heat under the same condition.

It must be borne in mind that the perforated reservoirs I employ in thisinvention have no lamp or light of any description, and that theirinterior temperature will normally be precisely the same as that of theoutside atmosphere, and that the essential element of my invention isthat I raise the temperature within the vessels by generating anelectric spark or bringing a piece-of platinum sponge or wire or thelike into a state of incandescence, whereby the inclosed lire-damp, iftherein existing in dangerous condition, will enter into combustion, andby means of attached devices or a circuit-breaker will'make or break acircuit which will convey a generic or specific alarm to a givenstation.

I desire to be distinctly understood as not herein limiting myself toany specific form of actuating mechanism or circuit breakers, as manywell-known devices can be utilized and be within the scope of myinvention.

By the use of my presentimprovementit will not be necessary'to haveatall times and at all places in a mine a light or flame within thevessel or vessels having perforate surroundings. I may, by the use of mypresent invention, induce a current of electricity through the line-wireof a circuit, periodically or at stated intervals, which willproducewithin the perforate inclosure of stationed devices an electric spark orincandescence, and thus continually test the condition of the fire-damp,and I may so arrange theline-wires or the groups or routes of vesselswith perforate inclosures by suitable shunts, cut-offs, switches, andrelays, so as to test special galleries or parts of a mine beforecommencing work therein, or at any other time. So, too, I can shut offthe whole or any part of the route within a mine from a main station, asI do not confine myself to a single lamp or vessel having perforatesurroundings. Itis manifest, too, that by the use of my presentimprovement there will be no necessity to constantly supervise the feedof the several lamps or analogousdevices, and no risk will be run oftheir being at any time inoperative by reason of their feed of oil orother flame-producing substance having become exhausted.

Referring to the accompanying; drawings, in which similar letters ofreference indicate like parts on each figure, Figure 1 represents avesselhaving perforate surroundings, parts being broken away, showingattached devices, embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is anotherform thereof,showing a cord that will be ignited when the fire-damp enters intocombustion. Fig. 3 is another form embodying my invention, whereinpieces of metal by expansion under thermostatic influence close anormallyopen electric circuit. Fig. 4 is another form embodying myinvention, wherein a substance under thermostatic influence fuses andbreaks a normally-closed electric circuit. Fig. 5 represents a series ofthe devices shown in Fig.1 arranged in a field or route.

A is a vessel or case having perforate surroundings a; B, an electricline-wire passing through insulated sides of the case A, and connectedto platinum wire or sponge U. D D are circuit-wires connected to twometallic plates, E, within the case A, which plates are kept separatedby a seal or substance, E, easily fusible by heat. (See Fig. 1.)

\Vhen an electric current flows through the line-wire B the platinum Gwill become incandescent, and the fire-damp within the case A will enterinto combustion, melting the insulated fusible substance E, bring theplates E into contact, and close the circuit, which will carry therequisite alarm to any terminal station, so thatdue notice will be giventhat within the case A has accumulated fire-damp in dangerous condition.

Fig. 2 illustrates a modification wherein connection between thedepending point (I and the loop (1 will establish metallic contact andclose a normally, broken circuit. The device shown in this figure is anequivalent of that illustrated in Fig. 1, the difference being that theline-wires D D are kept separated by means of an ignitible cord, J,which is severed by being burnt when the fire-damp enters intocombustion.

In Fig. 3 I illustrate the employment oftwo metal bars or points, P P,in near proximity, which expand by heat, and by juxtaposition establisha normally-broken circuit.

In Fig. 4.1 illustrate the manner in which I employ a normally-closedcircuit by connecting metallic bars I? P, joined by non-insulatedsubstance S, easily fusible by heat, the severance of which willinterrupt the current and break the circuit.

In Fig. 5 I show the manner of arranging several of the cases A with anyof the operative connections in routes or fields, so that a whole routecan be tested periodically, myinvention contemplating in practice that arequired number of the cases A shall be located in stated places in amine, and within an electric field be connected together, and that theline-wires shall terminate at a station, from whence the operator caninduce a current through the whole field, and whenever the electricspark is generated within one or more of the cases A, or the platinumtherein is brought into a state of red heat, the fire-damp, if indangerous condition, will consequently enter into combustion, andthereby actuate the attached mechanism, which, as the case may be, willinterrupt a completed circuit or close a broken one, and announce on asuitable annunciator the necessary danger-signal. If, on the other hand,the electric spark or incandescent platinum ignites no fire-damp,theseveral devices will remain intact, and no signal being given, theoperator will understand everything to be safe.

What I claim is- 1. A mine-fire-damp detector and indicator consistingof the following elements: a vessel having perforated surroundings inwhole or in part, having therein the line-wire of an electric circuit,an inclosed substance that will become incandescent when an electricspark is produced by a current induced through said line-wires, allarranged so that the generated electric spark will ignite accumulatedfiredamp within said perforate inclosure when it reaches the conditionof combnsti-bility, substantially as described.

2. In a mine-damp detector and indicator, the combination of a vesselprovided with perforated surroundings, having inclosed therein asubstance that will become incandescent by an induced electric current,with the line-wire of an electric circuit and a circnit-breaker, as andfor the purpose intended, substantially as described.

3. Thewithin-described system for detecting fire-damp within a mine bymeans of currentwires of an electric circuit led through a vessel havingperforated surroundings, whereby an electric spark will be generatedwithin said perforated surroundings and the accumulated fire-damp, whenreaching an inflammable condition, will be ignited, and thereby actuatea circuit-breaker, as and for the purpose intended, substantially asdescribed.

4. The combination, in a fire-damp testerand indicator, of analarm'annunciator connected to the wire or wires of an electric circuit,led to and within a vessel having perforated surroundings, with acircuit-breaker, all so arranged that an electric circuit will be openedor closed when the fire-damp within said perforated surroundings hasbeen ignited by an induced electric current, substantially as described.

5. Aroute or system of fire-damptesters and indicators, consisting of anumber of vessels having perforated inclosures within each of whichincandescence will be produced when an electric currentis inducedthrough a line-wire connected within said perforated inelosures, incombination with electric line-Wires having attached circuit-breakersand station alarmannunciators, as and for the purpose set forth,substantially as described.

ISIDOR KITSEE.

Witnesses W. O. FIEDELDEY, Vroroa ABRAHAM.

